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Food Allergies

Jacobi Zakrzewski & Kevin Kelchen. Food Allergies. What is a food allergy?. An immune system response where the body mistakes an ingredient in food—usually a protein—as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it.

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Food Allergies

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  1. Jacobi Zakrzewski & Kevin Kelchen Food Allergies

  2. What is a food allergy? • An immune system response where the body mistakes an ingredient in food—usually a protein—as harmful and creates a defense system (antibodies) to fight it. • Eight foods account for 90% of all food-allergic reactions. They are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, wheat, and soy.

  3. Do I have a food allergy? • About 3-5% of adults, 6-8% of children have clinically true food allergies. What others may misinterpret as food allergies may actually be food intolerances, food poisoning, or toxic reactions. • A food allergy is an abnormal response to a food that is triggered specifically by the immune system.

  4. Do I have a food allergy? • Food allergies can be triggered by even a tiny amount of the food and occur every time the food is consumed. On the other hand, food intolerances often are dose related. • Cross-reactivity: suffering from allergic reactions to similar foods

  5. What happens in the body? • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4D9p3dnBSq0 • immunoglobulin E (IgE) is an antibody produced in plasma cells specific for the allergen. • Depending upon the tissue in which they are released, the released chemicals (“mediators”) cause the various symptoms of food allergy. -Ears, nose, throat vs. skin vs. GI tract

  6. What happens in the body? • Food allergy symptoms usually develop within a few minutes to two hours after eating the offending food. • Other than what we know about what occurs in the body regarding the immune system, we really don’t know why the body falsely identifies a protein as harmful.

  7. Who is at risk for developing food allergies? • Family history: increased risk if allergies (any kind) are common in family; food allergies often run in families • A past food allergy: outgrown food allergies may return later in life • Other allergies: if allergic to one food, increased risk of being allergic to another. Another type of allergy also increases risk.

  8. Who is at risk for developing food allergies? • Age: most food allergies begin in the first or second year of life. With age, digestive system matures and body is less likely to absorb food or food components that trigger allergies. • Tend to outgrow: milk, soy, wheat and egg • Likely lifelong: nuts and shellfish • However, some feel it is possible for allergies to develop during the fetal stage of development.

  9. What kind of help is available? • Determine if you have a true food allergy: -Physical exam and history: symptoms began, foods eaten, environmental changes -Skin prick tests: foods placed on forearm or back and skin pricked with needle to verify reaction -RAST (radioallergosorbent) blood tests: test blood for IgE antibodies -Elimination diet: begin limited diet and keep adding new foods one-by-one -Food challenge: various foods in individual capsules; patient and doctor blind-folded; most accurate and risky

  10. What kind of help is available? • Primary treatment and only way to avoid a reaction = strictly avoiding the food! • The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA): law requires food manufacturers to list top food allergens on product labels

  11. What kind of medications are there? • There are no medications that cure or prevent allergic reactions to foods—medications are administered to control symptoms after a reaction occurs. • Minor reaction: antihistamines may help reduce symptoms (block effect of histamine released by mast cells) • Severe/anaphylactic reaction: epinephrine (or adrenaline) injection (EpiPen), which shuts down mast cell from releasing chemicals and constricts blood vessels to raise blood pressure of people whose blood pressure is falling from a reaction

  12. How to deal with a food allergy? • Read all food labels, never assume anything • If you are unsure about a food and its ingredients, ask the cook or somebody who knows what ingredients are in it. • Wash your hands before and after eating • Let the people around you know what you’re allergic to • Make sure your diagnoses is correct • Carry medication with you at all times

  13. In the News: Kids' Food Allergies Often Misdiagnosed • Food allergies are common • Problem: Unclear accepted definition for them • Many people have food intolerance instead of an allergy • Such as lactose intolerance • Misdiagnoses due to cost effectiveness of tests • Food challenge costs too much • Skin prick testing and blood testing used, causes overdiagnoses • “We tell parents that about half the time a skin prick or blood test may not be accurate and that patient history, physical examination , and other factors need to be considered,“ • http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/12/health/webmd/main6476750.shtml

  14. In the News:Food pros cater to allergy needs • Cooking teacher Oonagh Williams runs a catering business • Realizes the problem of food allergies • Her food is free of gluten • Son is allergic to gluten, uses him to taste test recipes • http://www.nashuatelegraph.com • /business/759709-192 • /food-pros-cater-to • -allergy-needs.html?i=1

  15. Questions?

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